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‘Arctic outbreak’ could soon bring dangerous wind chills, school closings to Metro Detroit

Wind chill temperatures could fall 20-30 degrees below zero next week

The wind chill forecast in Southeast Michigan for Jan. 21, 2025. (WDIV)

DETROIT – An “Arctic outbreak” could bring dangerously cold wind chill temperatures and even cause school closings in Metro Detroit next week.

What is an ‘Arctic outbreak’?

Arctic outbreaks are extremely cold air masses that normally originate in the Siberian region of Asia. They cross over the North Pole into Canada and push south and east into the United States.

Upper-level temperatures for Jan. 21, 2025. (WDIV)

Timeline of dangerously cold temperatures

Southeast Michigan will start seeing dangerously cold temperatures Sunday night into Monday morning next week.

It appears the worst stretch of temperatures will be Monday night into Tuesday morning.

Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, it’s possible wind chills could be 20-30 degrees below zero.

The wind chill forecast in Southeast Michigan for Jan. 20, 2025. (WDIV)
The wind chill forecast in Southeast Michigan for Jan. 21, 2025. (WDIV)

Possible school closings

There’s a chance some schools could be affected Tuesday, coming out of the three-day weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

If wind chill temperatures are as low as expected, schools around Southeast Michigan could decide to close Tuesday.

It’s also possible some schools could cancel outside recess or other activities due to the temperatures.

Watches, warnings, and advisories

New cold watches and warnings. (WDIV)

The National Weather Service consolidated some of its severe weather alerts for cold temperatures.

If wind chill temperatures are in the range of -15 to -24 degrees, a cold weather advisory will be activated.

An extreme cold watch or warning is for wind chill temperatures colder than -24 degrees. A watch would be issued if those conditions are possible, and a warning would ensue if those conditions come to fruition.

Cold weather advisory (WDIV)
Extreme cold warning (WDIV)

About the Authors
Ashlee Baracy headshot

Ashlee Baracy is an Emmy award-winning meteorologist who was born and raised in Metro Detroit. You can catch her 4Warn Weather forecasts weekday mornings, at noon and streaming on Local4+.

Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Digital Executive Producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.